Day 65. My temperature is exceeding 103 degrees, I’m struggling with a relentless cough, my blood pressure remains erratic due to vascular damage and artery inflammation (sometimes I experience hypertension in one arm and hypotension in the other), and I still require continuous oxygen with my saturation levels only hovering in the upper 80s. I’m utterly drained and short of breath, barely able to walk across a room, and feeling miserable.
Does anyone know when the “asymptomatic” phase or the “just a flu” narrative of COVID-19 kicks in? I’m eagerly anticipating those moments.
I continue to witness so many individuals dismissing this virus as trivial. People who refuse to wear masks to protect others, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that they help mitigate the spread. Perhaps you should consider the reality of what COVID-19 can do to someone who isn’t asymptomatic but endures a severe case and manages to survive. I belong to the high-risk group that many seem willing to ignore, as if locking us away is a solution, leaving us to fend for ourselves.
Many assert, “It only affects the elderly or those with pre-existing conditions.” Firstly, this is a misconception; numerous young and seemingly healthy individuals have succumbed to the virus, and countless others have faced severe illness with lasting repercussions. Secondly, even if that statement were true, how can you justify risking lives just to avoid wearing a mask? Elderly individuals and those with underlying health issues are part of our community—friends, family members, colleagues, teachers, and neighbors.
This is what COVID-19 looks like for someone with pre-existing conditions: beyond the severe diarrhea and unbearable cramps (and coming from a Crohn’s patient, that’s saying something), there are debilitating headaches, extreme shortness of breath that makes sleep feel like a death sentence, nausea, loss of smell and taste, loss of appetite, excruciating bone and muscle pain, broken ribs from relentless coughing, and fatigue so profound that picking up my phone feels impossible.
The visible effects are alarming: lips turning purple from inadequate oxygen, rashes due to the virus attacking my organs, fluctuating blood pressures from vascular damage, fingers and toes changing color and becoming numb from blood clots, and heart rhythm disturbances. These are the physical realities I’ve faced over the past 65 days.
When you choose to forgo a mask in public, you’re essentially accepting the risk of doing this to anyone you encounter and any future individuals who may enter the same space after you. You’re saying you’re okay with potentially condemning them to either suffer through this hell or face a tragic end in isolation.
I have endured 65 days of illness confined to my home. This is the grim truth of COVID-19—not the mild cases or asymptomatic individuals. We should be deeply concerned for those whom many are willing to sacrifice for convenience, as this is the potential outcome for them. Or they may not survive, like over 200,000 other U.S. citizens who have already lost their lives.
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Summary
This article shares a personal account of the severe effects of COVID-19, particularly on those with underlying health conditions. It serves as a stark reminder of the importance of wearing masks and protecting vulnerable members of the community.